About
Pascack Valley HS Theatre
MISSION STATMENT
The Pascack Valley HS Theatre extracurricular theatre program is committed to mounting high-quality productions that provide a rich educational and theatrical experience for its participants and audiences. We will continually strive to present work of artistic and thematic significance to our community, in the hopes that students, teachers, and spectators alike will be moved by our work to feel deeply and think deeply.
"Art is humanity's most essential, most universal language. It is not a frill, but a necessary part of communication. The quality of civilization can be measured through its music, dance, drama, architecture, visual art and literature. We must give our children knowledge and understanding of civilization's most profound works."
- Ernest L. Boyer
Meet our Team
Creative. Talented. Passionate.
The Pascack Valley HS Theatre staff is a passionate and dedicated group of artists and educators who are committed to providing high-quality theatre experiences for our community. We believe that theatre has the power to inspire, entertain, and educate, and we are proud to share our love of theatre with our students and our audiences.
Director/Producer
Tom Lupfer
is proud to celebrate his 20th season at the helm of PV Theatre! Tom is especially grateful to share the stage — and life — with his wife and co-director Merielle, with whom he received the 2014 JoAnn Fox Award for Outstanding Theatre Teacher/Director. By day, Tom teaches theatre at Glenfield Middle School, a Visual & Performing Arts Magnet in Montclair, NJ, where he has built a thriving program over nearly two decades. He is the recipient of the 2025 NJ Governor's Award in Arts Education for Outstanding Theatre Teacher, northjersey.com's Amazing Teacher of the Month (June 2024) and a three-time Best Director honoree at the MSU Foxy Awards. Tom co-produced the documentary film Ceremony For This Time (2015 Montclair Film Festival), chronicling the creation of a performance piece celebrating the power of performing arts in education.When he's not in a rehearsal room, Tom can be found with his nose in a book or planning his next adventure. His greatest joy? His eleven- year-old daughters, who love coming to rehearsal almost as much as he does. MA: Educational Theatre, NYU; MA: Educational Leadership, MSU; BA: Theatre, Susquehanna University
Director/CHAMP Crew Advisor
Merielle Lupfer
is a 2001 alumna of PVHS who holds a degree in Educational Theatre from New York University. She spends the school day teaching fifth-grade Language Arts at Meadowbrook Elementary School in Hillsdale. Returning to helm the high school theatre program that was her initial training ground in performance and design, and doing it alongside her husband/favorite collaborator, has been a dream come true for the past 19 years. Though she sometimes jokes that her work is mostly “doing skits with kids,” Merielle believes strongly in the importance of the arts in students’ lives and is grateful for the privilege of creating art with young people for a living. Among the parts she’s enjoyed playing on stage are Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Amy in Company, but Merielle’s favorite role is Mama to her twin daughters. Now eleven years old and in sixth grade, they love reading, making music, being with family, and working on PV Theatre shows as official members of the CHAMP crew.
Sound Designer
Jonathan Melchiorre
is an alumnus of Pascack Valley and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design
& Technology from Emerson College. When he’s not at Pascack Valley, Jon works as an Account Executive for the Broadway Audio Sales Division in PRG Secaucus. Jon is committed to theatre education and finds comfort in contributing to his community and the theatre program he once called home.
Technical Director
Gus Koeniges
(he/they) is honored to serve as the technical
director for PV Theatre. He is immensely proud of his student construction, paint, and run crews for working so hard for months to pull together this achievement. After graduating from Pascack Valley in 2020, Gus received their BFA in Theatre, concentrating in technical direction, from Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts. They are now a graduate student at Adelphi University pursuing a Master’s degree in Educational Theatre. Much love to his incredible support system who has made this possible. Break legs!
Choreographer
Kelsey Mcgrail
is a 2012 graduate of PVHS. During her four years at Valley, she was an active member of
PV Theatre and performed in eight shows
with the program. After graduating, she joined the staff as a choreographer and has had the pleasure of working on every musical since 2013. She is so grateful to have the opportunity to return to one of her favorite places every spring. During the week, Kelsey works as a data
consultant at a large brand consultancy firm in NYC.
Music Director
Gayle Fuentes
is a proud member of the PV Theatre Team! She holds a degree in music from Mason Gross School of the Arts and currently works as a
vocal music teacher and private vocal coach. Outside of teaching, she continues to sing
as a performing artist. In her free time, she also loves to ballroom dance, bake, and craft!
Ms. Fuentes is so honored to have worked with the talented and dedicated staff, cast, and crews of PVHS Theatre. She thanks her family and friends for their continued support!
International Thespian Society
The primary objective of the International Thespian Society is to promote and strengthen school theatre by recognizing and rewarding excellence. The society strives, alongside educators, advocates, and artists, to make theatre an instrument of lifelong learning. I.T.S. also serves as the eyes, ears, and voice of the school theatre community, advocating a stronger role for theatre education in the curriculum.
Past Presidents:
Abigail DiSalvo '25
Evelyn Jansen '24
Kelly Donlan '23
Lauren Kalfus '22
Katelyn Eror '21
Gus Koeniges '20
Rachel Brunn '19
Amy Santo '18
Ariana Aguero '17
Anastasia Maltsev '16
Michelle Verkhoglaz '15
Katie Collins '14
Dylan Jones '13
Kelsey McGrail '12
Maja Kruegle '11
Allison Bergstein '10
Courtney Farrell '09
President: Kayla Klas
Vice President: Maya Teckwani
Secretary: Sadie Huang
Board Members-at-Large:
Abigail Campbell
Tyler Cigercioglu
Troupe Director:
Mr. Tom Lupfer
Honorary Member:
Mrs. Merielle Lupfer
Membership:
Alyssa Barnett, Alexis Burchell,
Mikaela Cabrera, Abigail Campbell,
James Campenot, Tyler Cigercioglu,
Isabella Diomede, Shannon DelMage,
Madeline Gagliardi, Ellie Gallina,
Alexi Gatmaitan, Daniela Grecu,
Oliver Greene, Ava Gundersen, Sadie Huang, Riley Hutchison, Kennedy Rose Jean,
Mia Kantowitz, Kayla Klas, Matthew Kovacs,
Ethan Lekaj, Erik Martin, Alessandra Marinozzi, Gianna Mauriello, Priya Mehra, Jesse Merker,
Analiah Moral, Ian Mottershead,
Braydon Ottomanelli, Jordan Pieszchata,
Sean Roberts, Anna Stern, Maya Teckwani,
Emma Tritthart, Mia Vazquez, Jake Wawra, Alexandra Wells, Christian Woessner